The Good, The Not So Good, and the Downright Bad

A federal judge ruled Thursday that Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, marking the first time that a marriage ban has been struck down in the South. "We have arrived upon another moment in history when We the People becomes more inclusive, and our freedom more perfect," Judge Arenda Wright Allen wrote in her decision. The ruling comes less than a month after Attorney General Mark Herring announced the state would no longer defend the ban in court.CNN (2/14), Advocate.com (2/13), The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (2/14)

A federal judge this week struck down a portion of Kentucky's marriage equality ban on Wednesday, ordering the state to recognize legal same-sex marriages performed in other states. "It is clear that Kentucky's laws treat gay and lesbian persons differently in a way that demeans them," Judge John Heyburn wrote in the ruling, which cited June's Supreme Court decision against the Defense of Marriage Act. Although Heyburn clearly declared the law unconstitutional, he stopped short of immediately invalidating the state's ban on same-sex marriages, scheduling a hearing "in the near future" to discuss the timing of such an action. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (2/12), ABC News/The Associated Press (2/13), Advocate.com (2/12)

The Supreme Court of Idaho ruled Monday that married same-sex couples are entitled to adopt children, siding with two Boise women who married last year. The court ruled unanimously that neither sexual orientation nor gender should affect an adult's ability to adopt. The ruling does not affect a pending lawsuit filed by four same-sex couples seeking to overturn the state's marriage-equality ban. Reuters (2/11), The Idaho Statesman (Boise) (2/10)